31
1 Now
the Philistines
fought against
Israel; and the
men of Israel
fled from before
the Philistines,
and fell down
slain on Mount
Gilboa.
2 The
Philistines overtook
Saul and his
sons; and the
Philistines killed
Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua,
the sons of
Saul.
3 The
battle went hard
against Saul, and
the archers
overtook him; and
he was
greatly distressed by reason
of the archers.
4 Then
Saul said to his
armor bearer, “Draw
your sword, and
thrust me through
with it, lest
these uncircumcised
come and thrust
me through and
abuse me!” But
his armor
bearer would not,
for he was
terrified. Therefore
Saul took his
sword and fell
on it.
5 When
his armor bearer
saw that Saul
was dead, he
likewise fell on
his sword, and
died with him.
6 So
Saul died with
his three sons,
his armor bearer,
and all his
men that same
day together.
7 When
the men of
Israel who were
on the other
side of the
valley, and those
who were beyond
the Jordan, saw
that the men
of Israel fled
and that Saul
and his sons
were dead, they
abandoned the
cities and fled;
and the
Philistines came
and lived in
them.
8 On
the next day,
when the
Philistines came
to strip the
slain, they found
Saul and his
three sons fallen
on Mount Gilboa.
9 They
cut off his
head, stripped off
his armor, and
sent into the land
of the Philistines
all around, to
carry the news
to the house
of their idols
and to the
people.
10 They
put his armor
in the house
of the Ashtaroth,
and they fastened
his body to
the wall of
Beth Shan.
11 When
the inhabitants of
Jabesh Gilead
heard what the
Philistines had
done to Saul,
12 all
the valiant men
arose, went all
night, and took
the body of
Saul and the
bodies of his
sons from the
wall of Beth Shan;
and they came
to Jabesh and
burned them there.
13 They
took their bones
and buried them
under the tamarisk
tree in Jabesh,
and fasted seven
days.